Thread: Modern Heirloom rifles

While drooling over the Rigby website last night, i got to thinking what makes a "heirloom" rifle, and what options there are nowadays to pass on to younger generations. Something like a new Rigby would obviously be the answer, but at $20k+, is unobtainable for most people. What have you got locked away from the past 20 years that ticks that box, and you plan on passing down? I myself had a Ruger M77 Hawkeye in 7mmRM which I regrettably sold, with it's beautiful deep blueing, and immaculate walnut stock, that would have been a great contender

In reality something that is special to you....could be anything.
I love the idea of handing my walnut Lupo down but hey there's no garuntee that my kids will stay interested in hunting either and if that happens well I guess they can sell it.

Way too subjective
There are no right or wrong answers and the number of options equals the number of gun owners

To me a heirloom quality firearm will be a one off that has been made to a specific clients order. At the minimum "hand finished" with all mechanicals perfectly tuned and operating flawlessly. The level of finish will be immaculate and detailed to the inner workings as well as the exterior.

About the minimum I'd say in NZ would maybe a special order Schultz and Larsen.

For me the mass produced Sako's and other high end offerings like the Vooduu 22s etc can be custom rifles but are more akin to a playboy centerfold than a Reubens original ( quote pinched from Philip C Bolger)

It definitely is a subjective subject. A friend's dad just passed a second year of production 10/22 down to him, that has as much sentiment as any $20k+ rifle could ever have. More just curious as to what people had put away to pass on to kids or grandkids

Yeah I got my grandads/dads 1950s Browning Trombone - it'll be handed down to my kids. I used to hunt with it as a kid (12?), old man used to go salmon fishing and I'd bugger off for the day with a pocket full of ammo chasing bunnies and magpies.

Any Sako

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I/we have one I consider a heirloom.
A BSA Lightweight with the BEZA brake (hunter, viscount, or whatever you think it should be called. I'm passed caring) in 3006 which my dad bought new in the fifties.
I pinched it off him in the seventies and shot hundreds of animals with it.
My daughter pinched it off me when she was old enough (shot her first deer with it when she was eleven).
A lot of family members and friends have shot their first deer with it.
It's got a new barrel, but is just an old work horse. But it's special.

If that's the one Sarah bought down its bloody nice

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

Yep.

Man I was green with envy having it tucked in my safe

I have a few that meet the heirloom quality but I think there is two distinct categories. One with and emotional attachment and the other an equation of engineering, quality and rareness.
The first category I have the rifle I learnt on. Single shot Slazenger .22. Probably worth
$100 probably. Means a lot to me. And others in this category that for different reasons created special memories.
In the second catogory I have high grade Dakota M10’s, High grade Coopers, unfired Sauer 90, brace of grade 10 Sauer 202’s, several S & L’s, ans a factory chosen Heym SR30 straight pull. And many others I spent time chasing and subsequently cherishing.
My sons don’t want them all so I will let them chose what they consider is a rifle or two that they consider is heirloom material for them.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

I/we have one I consider a heirloom.
A BSA Lightweight with the BEZA brake (hunter, viscount, or whatever you think it should be called. I'm passed caring) in 3006 which my dad bought new in the fifties.
I pinched it off him in the seventies and shot hundreds of animals with it.
My daughter pinched it off me when she was old enough (shot her first deer with it when she was eleven).
A lot of family members and friends have shot their first deer with it.
It's got a new barrel, but is just an old work horse. But it's special.

tha BSA would tick a lot of boxes re heirloom - no longer made - still in use - passed on -yup special credentials - never ceases to amuse me when someone asks for a recommendation re a rifle for a new hunter on here - immediate split into wood blued or synthetic stainless - and lol guarantee we will get a someone say a Tikka in 6.5 crudmore only way to go - but heirloom - wide variation I suspect - to me a few oldies that would not make it - only my opinion but any cut down 303 (to common) - BSA CF2 ( terrible ) Sportco ( rubbish ) - value - well lets say one had a Holland and Holland in 7x57 but total safe queen no history of use really at all - then another has an early Sako 270 Finnbear well used done many miles and still in service - I know which one I would value more the sako every day my two cents worth

Not a firearm; but a heirloom can certainly mean anything. I class my dad's old hand post rammer as a heirloom (to me). It would mean nothing to anyone else. Everytime I use the handmade rammer to ram the clay around a post it reminds me that it would have been used for every post on the farm :-) Most people (including family) would just regard it as a wonky bit of pipe and no heirloom. Yet I love the fact that every post on my small property (that was part of the folk's farm) has been put in using it.

The answer to this question lies in the past.

I have a few Vintage Heirloom Rifles
Serious vintage rifle collectors value certain things very highly and these elevate merely old rifles to the heirloom class and therefore values.

Above all else it is Factory Special Order feature or known provenance to a famous or well known person.
The more I learn about vintage rifles the more I realise that you will never know it all.
There were so many variations and options available that there is always something new to see and find
Factory upgrades might be
Pistol grip stock
Finer checkering and walnut
Express sights
Engraving
Shotgun butt plates
Factory take down

Some original rifles have all of these features and therefore command a real premium in price now and are genuine heirloom.

Then there are calibers which in some cases elevate a fairly common model and grade of rifle to heirloom.
Collectors often double the value of a make and model of rifle that is in the rarest, most desirable or largest caliber available.
Or a caliber associated with a particular famous person even if it was not their rifle.

These are some clues based on the past, of what in a modern factory rifle might one day become an heirloom rifle

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

Not a firearm; but a heirloom can certainly mean anything. I class my dad's old hand post rammer as a heirloom (to me). It would mean nothing to anyone else. Everytime I use the handmade rammer to ram the clay around a post it reminds me that it would have been used for every post on the farm :-) Most people (including family) would just regard it as a wonky bit of pipe and no heirloom. Yet I love the fact that every post on my small property (that was part of the folk's farm) has been put in using it.

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Priceless @bumblefoot but I would still like to have it in my fly press ( barrel straightener ) and at least try and get it straight again.
But I expect even some of the bends in it have memories

@akaroa1 Probably been driven over a few times by the old David Brown 990 back in the day